Sanctuary
by micalikeshp
Summary: They were each other's sanctuary. James Potter and Lily Evans, at the beginning of their 6th year, have formed an unsteady friendship. It was an almost-perfect summer, but with everything from the impending N.E.W.T's to a possible Wizarding War approaching, can two people who are so different find sanctuary in each other? And realise perhaps they aren't so different after all?
1. Prolouge: What To Do

Sanctuary

Hi everyone... seems I decided to completely abandon this story for a year... sorry. But I'm back and I promise I'll upload more. I think I've refound my passion for it.

So. James and Lily. Without them, Harry Potter wouldn't even exist, so we have a lot to thank them for. You'll also see some of your favourites and some of your not-so-favourites.

DISCLAIMER: I don't own any of the characters in this story. They all belong to JK Rowling (my queen).

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THE ORDER

Chapter One: What To Do

They were each other's sanctuary. For James, when the firewhisky in the liquor cabinet didn't cut it to calm his jittery nerves, Lily would know what to do. Make a cup of tea. Lock the doors twice. Three times. Keep the suitcase by the door, just in case. Hold him tight. Stay up with him all night if needed, giving him a kiss for each star in the sky.

For Lily, when she came across a picture of Petunia, when Snape came up in conversation, when the word Mudblood was tossed at her like rotten fruit, James would know what to do. Put on a record by the Smiths. Stroke her hair. Open the curtains and the windows and the shutters and let her breathe in the fresh air. Hold her around the waist, tight, until the tears stopped. Kiss her just behind her left ear.

These traditions came to be known to them one by one, arriving like letters in the post, just another thing to do to make the bad things go away. They were married; of course it was normal that they knew each other well.

But it hadn't started with marriage. It hadn't started with them dating. It hadn't even started on that night... The night the two of them decided they were very very much in love. It started back in the old hallowed halls before either of them knew what love was, and indeed what heartbreak was. James didn't like tea. Lily didn't like firewhisky. Some old habits die hard, but these didn't.

This is how it began.

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Please review is you like! More chapters coming soon! xx Mica


	2. Chapter 1: Lemon Juice

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of these characters. All of it belongs to JK Rowling (my queen).

Rewrite of chapter from a year ago. A little better now I think :)

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HOGWARTS

Chapter Two: Lemon Juice

Lily was a romantic at heart. She liked to believe that nobody saw past the 'in control' exterior she attempted to build. She was great when she was in control, sure. Her partner in any class was lucky to have her, the teachers adored her, and she could silence a room with a single look. She always had a professional exterior, an aura of control of herself and those around her, the possession of the power to walk into the room and have it go quiet. She was a born leader.

But catching Lily when she was being a little softer? The charcoal sketch version of the usual Technicolor cartoon Lily? That was a real treat.

It would be on the most random of days. She would smile sweetly at the close-to-useless Hufflepuff she got paired up with in Herbology, she'd point a lost first-year in the right direction, she'd bring a copy of some dog-eared poetry book to every class, and it would sit at the corner of her desk until Sirius Black or James Potter picked it up and flicked through it (it was usually the latter that did so, but that's only because he'd want to find an excuse to talk to her).

And long warm afternoons where she could bask all day in the sun in the garden, that's what Lily loved almost as much as her time in Hogwarts. That's how she spent most of the summer, with a great big floppy hat in to prevent her face freckling. She'd read 15 books that summer, beating her record from third year. Most of them were Muggle classics, her guilty pleasure. She found herself waltzing around her room one night after dinner, clutching her paperback copy of Pride and Prejudice, hoping her own Mr. Darcy would sweep into the room and whirl her around in a steady waltz.

She was glad to have these drowsy days that summer; lost in someone else's world, as her own was accelerating at lightning speed. Although Petunia and her insufferable fiancée were staying in the Evans' home, same as Lily, Petunia did her best to avoid her. This entitled many family outings (not including Lily, of course, in case she accidentally forgot Vernon was there, and performed some magic), so Lily had the days to herself. However, as August drew to a close and the heady hot days melted into cool nights, her mother would stay home with her, baking pies and braiding her long ginger hair and listening to her rant about Sev. Admittedly, she'd tried pretending to herself that the whole awful incident hadn't happened, but it was therapeutic in a way to just cry out of frustration on her mum's shoulder.

So now, as she stood on Platform 9 and ¾, her face just a little bit tanned from the rays that had poked through her hat, her trunk full of books and clothes and hopes for the coming year, she stepped onto the train and-

Right into James Potter.

Her mood was immediately ruined.

"Whoa. Hello there, Evans. Good summer?" James' body stretched out like a cat's. His arm immediately was propped against the frame of the door into the carriage, his torso lengthened, his legs crossed. He smiles at her, still waiting for a response, and she sighs.

She runs a hand through her hair.

And then she stops.

Because she's done it. And she can't take it back. She's done his signature move- the hand through shaggy hair trick. And he knows it as well.

"Fine. Some drama with Petunia, lots of reading, and a little sun." She answers, trying to keep her voice steady. James has changed his position again, his shoulders hunched so he is almost at her height, hands stuffed in pockets.

"Or a lot of sun." He reaches out and pokes her nose fondly. Lily wonders if there's a sunburn she hadn't noticed there.

There's an awkward pause as she agonizes over what to say next. Fortunately, she doesn't have to say anything, because at that moment, three Marauders and two extremely brown Gryffindor girls squeeze themselves into the carriage, nearly knocking over James and Lily in the process. They shuffle to accommodate the new arrivals, and Lily realizes just how awkward and clunky her case is. She sets it down.

"For Merlin's sake, don't stand and chat right by the door, you can catch up on your summers elsewhere-" A decidedly handsome boy with pearl grey eyes and long brown hair complains, but stops short when he realizes who he's talking to.

"Prongsy! There you are, we were looking for you." Sirius Black says, pulling up a tall, lanky, sandy-brown haired boy and short chubby blonde boy beside him. The tall boy waves to Lily, and she can't wait to catch up with him- Remus Lupin is the most normal out of all the Marauders in Lily's opinion, and being a Prefect with him made her realize how much they had in common.

They'll catch up at the Prefect meeting, she decides.

Right now, she worries herself with the two girls. They both rush forward to embrace her, both smelling very strongly of lavender.

"Lily Lily Lily, my darling Lily. How was you summer?" The blonde one asks, as soon as they pull apart. She's wearing round-rimmed sunglasses, her hair is shorter and lighter, and she looks absolutely fantastic. Lily glances at Sirius, who is gazing at the back of Marlene's (the blonde) head, grey eyes cloudy. He notices Lily looking, and they clear. He turns back to the other three boys.

"Fine, fine, lovely. I'll tell you all about my exciting escapades with my book collection later. But you! Your hair! Did you dye it?" Lily says, reaching out her hand.

Marlene Price reaches up as well. She ruffles it. "Going for a different look. Picked it up in Spain… no more smooth and sleek, I need texture. And lemon juice in your hair, plus the sun, makes it lighter. And I also-"

"Blah blah blah, Marlene, let me speak to her, for Agrippa's sake! Go find a compartment with the boys." Mary Macdonald interrupts.

Marlene laughs, pushes her sunglass off her face and into her hair, and gestures for the boys to follow her. "Come on then, troublemakers." She says. Peter Pettigrew seems all too happy to comply, shouldering his full-to-bursting knapsack and dragging his trunk along behind him. Remus scoots a little closer to Lily, knowing they have to get to the Prefect compartment before the train sets off. James picks up his trunk and makes to follow Marlene and Peter, and is almost past Lily and Mary when he notices Sirius is not following him.

'C'mon, Padfoot. There's adventures to be had and Fizzing Whizbees to eat and firewhisky to get day drunk on.' He beckons. Marlene and Peter stop and turn. Sirius glances from James to Peter and Marlene, in that order, pausing slightly on the latter, then shakes his head. 'In a minute. I need to… ask Moony something.' Sirius answers.

James stalls for a moment, then shrugs. 'See you in a bit.' He shoulders one of his bags. 'Later, Evans.' He throws over his shoulder and joins Marlene and Peter, who push through the door to the next compartment.

'Merlin, what happened between Marlene and Sirius?' Lily whispers to Mary as soon as they've gone, conscious of the Black boy being just a foot away, talking hurriedly to Moony.

"Sirius? Nothing, that I know of. Marlene and I were together almost the whole summer. Oh, it was amazing, Lils, I wish you could've come.'

'My parents, unfortunately, care about me far too much to let me disappear for an entire summer to a hot foreign country with plenty of young available boys… speaking of which… how was it?' Lily giggled eagerly.

'_Fantastico._For Marlene especially. She got with this really fit Muggle in Valencia, though he barley spoke English. She told me that he really liked to do this thing where- '

She is interrupted by Sirius clearing his throat. 'Later, Moony.' He says simply, and is gone. Mary watches him go, and continues once he disappears into the next carriage.

"That trip was a real eye-opener for her… she chopped off her hair, she kissed boys she'd just met, she had _fun_. It's what she needed." Mary replies.

Lily nods, pressing her lips together. The year before, Marlene had gone through a very nasty breakup, and all of her friends were wondering when she was going to be happy again.

Mary hadn't changed a bit over summer, which was comfort to Lily, as she hoped she hadn't been the only one who'd tried a drastic change.

"Alright, Mac, let's find where those crazies went off to." Lily throws her arm over Mary's shoulders.

"What about Doe? And Alice and Frank?" Mary asks, her brunette ponytail bobbing.

"We saw Doe arriving. I'm sure she'll be here soon." Remus cuts in, having waited patiently for the girls. "And Alice and Frank are one cabin down, they'll be joining us later. You coming to the Prefect cabin, Lily?" He asks. His hair had grown out, and it curling at the ends.

"I'll be there in a tic, just want to change and catch up a bit." Lily answers, picking up her case again.

"See you in a bit then." And he's disappeared the other way, towards the cabin which holds all the Prefects.

Lily turns, smiles, and tugs Mary's hand in the direction whence Marlene and Adam went. "So, what was this Spanish boy's name?" She begins.

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HI EVERYONE! I'm so sorry... I went on an almost-year long hiatus... I just didn't feel like writing, so I'm sorry. But summer always brings out the Jily mood in me (I think because I have more time to write)... I replaced this chapter with a rewrite, cutting a character (that wasn't mine in the first place) and I'll be adding a few more in the coming chapters (ohh exciting...). Keep up with my on { .com}, my jily blog, or { .com}, my main blog.

Lots of love! xx Mica


	3. Chapter 2: Things Unsaid

Whoo! It's nearly 2 in the morning but I don't care, I'm glad I finished this!

Some Jily!fluff in this chapter if you're into that (I know I am)

Also Blackinnon tension. Oooohhh...

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They all belong to JK Rowling (my queen).

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Chapter Three: Things Unsaid

HOGWARTS

James Potter was pissed off. Sirius Black was pissed off. Marlene McKinnon was pissed off. And Peter Pettigrew was a smiling heap in the middle of all of them.

A frosty silence had descended over the compartment as soon as they had sat down in it. Marlene had immediately claimed a seat by the window on her own and began gazing out of it immediately. James went for the same option, just across from her. Peter, overjoyed at having a chance to sit next to a girl like Marlene, claimed the seat next to her. Sirius, left without any options, sulked next to James.

Marlene prayed someone – Lily, Mary, Doe, Remus, even that snivelly Ravenclaw Patrick Merriweather who had been chasing for a date for years- to grant a welcome respite to the tension that had descended among the four teenagers.

She got her wish. Dorcas Meadowes, who had been poking her head into almost every compartment searching for her friends, her patience growing thin, pressed up against the door of the compartment, her nose turning up like a pigs and her breath fogging up the glass. Marlene couldn't help but giggle and stood up to greet her friend.

Doe was the self-proclaimed 'rebel' of the female Gryffindors. She was a half-blood with a rather large family, leaving a lot of her childhood to her imagination. She spent a lot of her time creating her image, and here it was in all its glory; maroon lips littered with black lip rings, bold eyebrows, long auburn hair in two French braids hanging down onto her tastefully ripped Muggle clothing, a style many of the pureblood students at Hogwarts struggled to comprehend.

'Marlene McKinnon, you absolute FOX!' The girl exclaimed, dropping her bags on Peter's feet, causing the boy to squeal and jump up. Marlene wrapped her best friend in a tight hug, pausing to inhale the smell of pine and musk and spice Doe carried with her everywhere. It comforted her to no end.

'How was your romantic Spanish summer, you lucky bitch. Can't believe my parents wouldn't let me go. House arrest is no piece of cake.' Doe commented, coming out of the embrace and smiling at the blonde. 'Still, after all the fuss, I got to keep them.' She motioned to her aforementioned lip rings.

Peter had retreated to sit next to his friends. Sirius took out the small bottle of firewhisky he had concealed in his pocket- he couldn't believe circumstances had forced him to get drunk so quickly.

Marlene indulged Doe with a few details of the holiday she and Mary had shared, with promises of a full run-down later in the journey.

'Merlin, what's gotten into you all?' Doe asked, referencing the grumpy boys sat before her. 'Back to school blues?'

'You could call it that.' Sirius said, taking a swig.

Just then, the train whistle sounded and the train jerked forward. It took everyone in the compartment by surprise. Doe nearly toppled onto Peter, who attempted to catch her by grabbing her chest. Marlene wasn't so lucky, and fell right into the lap of Sirius, who, caught my surprise, spilled his firewhisky all over himself and Marlene.

They both leapt up, blushing to no end, swiping at their wet clothes.

'This was Spanish, you DOLT!' Marlene exclaimed, swatting her top.

'You think this was my fault? You fell onto me!' Sirius replied angrily.

Marlene blushed deeper. 'If you hadn't been drinking-'

'Excuse me for wanting to blow off some steam on my first day…'

'Who even drinks on a train? What a ridiculous idea!' The two continued to argue.

'Erm, Peter, you're hands… um…' Among the hubbub, Peter had failed to notice where his hands were currently located. Blushing almost as much as Marlene, he quickly detached himself from Doe, and rushed out of the compartment as quickly as he could.

James collapsed into peals of laughter.

'His first pair?' She asked the dark-haired boy, staring after Peter.

James was laughing too hard to answer.

'If you've ruined this, Black, I swear…' Marlene pushed past her friend out the compartment.

'Where are you going?' Sirius asked after her.

'To deal with this!' Marlene answered, motioning to the pale orange stain on her top.

'Well, I'm coming too!' Sirius snapped back.

'Fine!'

'Fine!'

The two left the compartment as well, just passing Mary Macdonald and Lily Evans on their way out.

'What happened to them?' Mary asked the laughing James and bewildered Doe.

'Where shall I start?' Doe answered.

A few minutes later, Peter had returned, having calmed down considerably, but said he had not seen neither Sirius nor Marlene. Lily and Mary exchanged knowing glances.

An air of lightness had come upon the five young Gryffindors, a temporary eye to the storm of first-day anxieties. Doe filled the air with her light-hearted chatter and hilarious stories about her strange extended family. Mary taught the group some Spanish she had picked up over the summer, swatting James' arm when he playfully asked if the phrase for 'how are you' meant ' can I have a shag, please'. Lily ignored the slight tightness in her chest she felt when she saw the two of them laughing together. James ignored the slight tightness in his chest he felt when he looked at Lily laughing. Peter dodged the jokes about the prior incident and doled out Every-Flavor Beans. Remus poked his head in once the train had started moving, sending Lily into a panic because she thought she was late for the Prefect meeting. She was quickly subdued by Remus' words of a reschedule to two hours from then due to some slight damage caused to the Prefect's carriage due to the abrupt start to the journey. He then sat with his friends, speaking little and laughing in all the right places.

The minutes passed by lazily as the countryside outside of the window. The trolley witch passed by, giving out Chocolate Frogs and Sugar Quills to the teenagers, who retreated into pairs around the compartment. Mary and Dorcas curled up in the corner by the window, excitedly whispering to each other about their respective holidays. Peter and Remus started to play a game of travel wizard's chess, or the 'epitome of swottery', as James had called it. This left James and Lily, sitting across from each other. Lily fully intended to bury her nose in a book to avoid any annoying or flirtatious conversation, but when James began to kick her legs childishly, she had no choice but to pay attention.

'Yes, James?' She asked.

'How was your holiday?' He parried, smiling eagerly at having caught her attention.

'You asked me that earlier.' Lily replied curtly.

'I know, but you have me the worst answer known to man.'

'I literally just read books in the garden. What more than that do you want?'

'Anything more.'

'Fine. On July 3rd I ate raspberry jam on toast and then-'

'That's not what I meant.'

'What did you mean?'

'I don't know. Make something up.'

'Like what?'

'Merlin, Evans.' James sat up. Lily mirrored his action. 'You're supposed to be clever.' He took the book she was reading from her hands.

'_The Catcher in The Rye?'_ He read from the cover.

'The epitome of the great American novel by some people's standard. Complete drivel by mine.' Lily told him.

'You don't like it?' James flicked through the pages.

'Holden Caulfield, the main character, is a spoiled rotten rich kid who takes great pleasure in teasing and terrorizing others… reminds me of someone else I know…' Lily's sentence led off, and James looked up from the book to see her smiling smugly.

'You don't mean me?' He cocked his head to one side.

'Of course not, Potter.' Lily replied sarcastically.

'Phew.' James said, faux-wiping his brow in relief. He continued to flip through the book and suddenly his eyes widened.

'There's a swear word in this book! Look- sonuvabitch!' James pointed at the offended work and turned the book to show Lily.

'I didn't expect you of all people to be surprised by swearing.' Lily commented.

'Not in books! That's mad!' James replied.

'Maybe you should read more of them.' Lily mused.

'Oh, I do, Evans. Just ask Padfoot-' James turned to look for his friend. 'Is Sirius not back yet?'

'I'll go look for him.' Peter volunteered, and left Remus to take a quiet nap next to the abandoned chess pieces.

'However, the books I read are all boring as hell. I don't think there's one magazine in my entire house.' James commentated on his parent's taste in literature.

'I could recommend some Muggle titles to you. I'm sure I could get my Mum to send them, or the Library has some titles- just some Dickens, and you have to ask for them because they aren't on the shelves, but-' Lily began.

'Thanks, Lils, I'll look into it.' James seemed far too distracted by the first page of the book to properly answer. Lily opened her mouth the question the 'Lils' when Peter appeared at the door of the compartment, pale-faced.

'What's wrong, Peter?' Lily got to her feet. James peeked up from behind the book, Doe and Mary turned to the short brown-haired boy, and Remus awoke to the sound of concern in Lily's voice.

'It's Sirius and Marlene.' He said weakly.

'What about them?' Lily prompted.

'They're- they're- they're- '

'For Agrippa's sake, Peter, spit it out!' James closed the book with a snap.

'They're in the corridor together…'

'Right, so?' James went to re-open the book.

'And they're _snogging_!'

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Wow, cliffhanger ending. Whoops.

Would love to wake up to some reviews!

Lots of love, xx Mica


	4. Chapter 3: A Boy With Hair

Chapter 4: A Boy With Hair

Hello all! Sorry this took so long, I had some writer's block and my computer got taken away, blah blah blah. This whole chapter is basically Blackinnon, a new-found love of mine, but some other friends will appear in the chapters to come, so don't worry.

I have to be honest, I don't really like this chapter, but I wanted to put something up. I'm also working on some one-shots- trying to keep writing for the few of you that have reviewed. Thanks to everyone who followed me/the story, I really appreciate it!

Sorry if its too angsty, I was watching Skins. Some swearing/slightly suggestive content to follow.

WHAT'S UP: The Gryffindors are back for their sixth year at Hogwarts. Sirius Black spent the summer at his best friend James Potter's due to his familial situation, Marlene McKinnon and Mary Macdonald spent the summer together in Spain, and Lily Evans spent the summer reading, and suspects something went down between Sirius and Marlene. A rocky start to the train ride leaves the two in a compromising position.

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They all belong to JK Rowling (queen).

ENJOY!

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To the Marauders, Marlene McKinnon was a confidante, a classmate, a teammate, and a friend. But two boys in the group wished for the latter to have the prefix 'girl' in front of it.

Of course, neither of them would ever admit it.

To Remus Lupin, Marlene McKinnon was the only person who had beat him in Herbology for five years. Her hair reminded him a little bit of his mothers, and she was one of the nicest people he had ever met. Unbeknownst to the rest of the Marauders, he told her about his 'furry little problem' in fourth year. She never told a soul.

To James Potter, Marlene McKinnon had been the first girl he had had a crush on when he first came to Hogwarts. She had brushed past him on the Hogwarts Express when they were only twelve, and knocked his shoulder.

James liked her because she had apologized profusely for accidently bumping into him.

It took him five minutes to bump into another girl. This time, she had bright ginger hair and brighter green eyes. She knocked into his shoulder as well. She didn't say a thing, and he was the one who ended up apologizing profusely.

As she turned on her heel and walked away from him, his affections had changed.

Marlene McKinnon was also a wicked Quidditch player, and being a halfblood, introduced James to most of his favorite Muggle bands. In his adult years, she became one of the closest friends he would ever have.

To Sirius Black, Marlene McKinnon was a bit like a boy with hair.

Of course, he never told Marlene this. Although he was sure that if he did tell her, she wouldn't take it the wrong way. Sirius told Marlene first when things started to go wrong at home. Marlene's father had left her and her mum, a Muggle, when Marlene was young, so she understood how it felt strange to have a family that wasn't what everyone else considered to be 'normal'. Over Christmas break of their fifth year, both of them had stayed at Hogwarts. And, due to some unforeseen circumstances, they were the only two Gryffindors in their year to do so. Marlene's mother was away on a holiday on her own, something Marlene had encouraged. And Sirius (though he hadn't told anyone) didn't feel safe to spent Christmas with his family.

So they spent Christmas Eve together, sitting by the fire and gorging themselves on Chocolate Frogs and Fizzing Whizbees, playing endless games of Exploding Snap.

And they spent Christmas Day together. Marlene watched in awe as Sirius pushed away the meticulously wrapped presents laid out for him under the tree. Each label was adorned with different curly scripts spelling out long-winded Pureblood names. Christmases with her mother were lovely, but never with very many presents or a delicately garnished tree.

Sirius watched as Marlene unwrapped the perfume from Lily, the records from Mary, the dress from Doe, the candles from Hestia, and a cardboard box covered in seashells from her mum. It was full of plastic key rings, colorful gem necklaces, miniscule snow globes and other sundries. There were little notes attached to each item, telling Marlene about the place each object had come from. A note at the bottom of the box detailed how much her mother missed Marlene and her best wished for the rest of the school year.

Somehow, Marlene guessed how the latter gift hurt Sirius, and quickly distracted him with a trip to the kitchens. Sirius offered a shortcut, hoping Marlene wouldn't notice the shortcut passed through every place in the castle where mistletoe was located.

Marlene noticed, and ducked her way out of every attempt.

In the days following, the two of them found themselves indulging in each other things they had reserved only for their respective best friends. By New Year's Eve, they both realized they were each other's best friends.

The two of them hailed in the New Year at the top of the Astronomy Tower. Marlene wore her new dress and perfume, hoping he would ask her about it. Sirius noticed, but didn't ask. He brought alcohol, but they ended up sober.

They decided simply to chat for a few hours, fully expecting to end up in their separate rooms before midnight.

But somehow, Marlene ended up with her head on Sirius' shoulder, and Sirius ended up with his arm around Marlene.

Five minutes to twelve struck.

'Marlene.'

'Mm.'

'It's nearly twelve.'

'I know.'

'There's a tradition in the wizarding world, you know.'

'Is there?'

'At least, there is in pureblood families.'

'Ah yes, the wonderful pureblood families of the wizarding world.'

'Hey, once you've been subjected to them for sixteen years, you have war stories.'

'Alright, go on then.'

'In pureblood families, New Years usually begins with every family repeating their family motto, three times, all at once. It's pretty bloody silly watching your 100-year-old uncle try and get some stuffy old Latin term through his fake teeth while trying not to fall asleep.' Sirius laughed, and Marlene felt the vibrations through his chest.

'My family was never really together at New Years. Mum couldn't afford to get us to wherever the rest of them were, and my gran and that were too old to come down to us. So Mum gave me sparkling apple juice and told me it was champagne and we would watch the fireworks on the telly.'

There was a pause in the conversation as Marlene considered whether or not what she had just said had been too much.

Three minutes to twelve.

'I'm sorry about your Mum.' Sirius finally spoke.

'I'm sorry about your… entire family.'

Another pause.

Two minutes to twelve.

'There's a tradition in the Muggle world at twelve, too, Sirius.'

'Is there?'

'When the clock strikes midnight, they all sing this old Scottish song and… and, erm…'

'And?'

'They… well, couples, at least… or anyone, I guess…they… erm, they…'

'Oh, for Merlin's sake, Marlene-'

'They kiss.'

One minute to twelve.

'Considering Muggles, I thought it would be stranger.'

Twelve loud rings made them both jump.

'Midnight.' Marlene said.

Marlene wanted to kiss Sirius, but she didn't.

Sirius wanted to kiss Marlene, but he didn't.

'Do you want me to kiss you?' Sirius asked.

'Absolutely not.'

To Peter Pettigrew, Marlene McKinnon was the most beautiful person he had ever seen.

He had been in love with her for as long as he had known her, and hadn't told anyone.

And yet he was sure- absolutely sure- that he was in love with her.

But Peter wasn't one to intrude where he wasn't needed. So he watched Marlene come and go on multiple dates throughout her school life. He watched her fall in love with Nicholas Thisbe. And he watched as her heart broke over him.

He watched as she fell in love with his best friend, and he fell in love with her.

Two of the Marauders were in love with Marlene, but neither of them would ever admit it.

Marlene McKinnon had the summer of her life. She and Mary had taken the beaches of Spain by storm, and Marlene, for once, forgot about all the stuff she had left behind at Hogwarts. She forgot about Nicholas, she forgot about Sirius (stupid, _stupid_ Sirius), she forgot about as much as she could afford to.

And she wished she could forget about this.

She and Sirius had both clambered into the nearest toilet on the train, ignoring strange looks from the students around them. Marlene turned on the faucet, trying in vain to save the top she had bought in Mallorca.

'Honestly, Sirius, you're the most useless person I've ever met!' She cried in frustration.

'Me? What about you? You swan in here acting like you own the place just because you have some fancy haircut and your skin's all brown and… and whatever…' Sirius exclaimed, trying to avoid the words _beautiful _and _breathtaking. _He pushed past her to splash water on his own shirt.

'Merlin, you git. You absolute git. You just don't realize.' Marlene felt herself tearing up, and turned from him, dabbing at her shirt.

'Realize what?' Sirius asked. He turned off the faucet.

'For Agrippa's sake, Black-' Marlene turned abruptly back to him, only to find him shirtless. She was too shocked to say anything.

'What, McKinnon?' He asked, wringing out his shirt.

'Why are you _shirtless_?' She hissed.

'I'm not going to let you ruin this shirt, it's Egyptian cotton!' Sirius turned the faucet on again.

'Sirius, could you be a bit more ostentatious please?' The blonde said sarcastically, and turned from him again.

'Why are you freaking out about this, McKinnon, it's not like you haven't seen it before.' Sirius said, referencing to shirtlessness.

Marlene's breath caught in her throat. She had done well to forget about the whole event, and now it was rushing back to her, in high definition, Technicolor images.

'_Sirius.'_

_No answer._

'_Sirius.'_

_Still no answer._

'_Sirius, listen-'_

'_McKinnon, for once, let me just-'_

'_But we shouldn't be…'_

'_Marlene, honestly…'_

'_We're in the library, for Merlin's sake!'_

'_Do you not like the location? Would you like to relocate? We can Apparate to a beach in France if you like, much more romantic…'_

'_You're a prick.' Marlene giggled._

'_I know.'_

_One grin, and she was gone._

'We promised, Sirius, to not bring that up.' Marlene tried to keep her voice steady.

'Well, I've brought it up. It's up, in the air, where it should be. We shagged, alright, and it's over.'

Old Marlene would've let it go. Old Marlene would've waited for him to leave and cried for hours. Old Marlene would've eventually forgotten about it.

But Old Marlene was gone.

She spun around to face him.

'Three months, I waited, Sirius. Three. _Bloody. Months._ I looked for an owl almost every bloody day; I waited for something – anything- from you. But there was no bloody declaration of love, no quick catch-up, not even a bloody 'how are you?' _You_ promised me, you prick, and you broke it.' Marlene's voice cracked, giving her real feelings away.

For the first time, Sirius realized what he'd done. He had broken the promise, and he knew it as each day passed for the three months they'd been apart. He kept telling himself that he should have done something, and he never did. He hadn't done anything because he had been more scared than he had ever been in his entire life.

But he didn't tell Marlene that.

Marlene's face screwed up. Her eyes went cold. She pushed him, hard, and then left the toilet, slamming the door shut behind her.

Sirius swore, turned off the faucet, and pulled on his damp shirt.

'Marlene, Marlene, c'mon. Stop. Stop! Marlene, please!' Sirius chased Marlene, who was surprisingly quick, down the carriage.

Against all expectations, she did stop. She turned around, her arms crossed, lips pursed, waiting for him to speak.

'Not much I can say, Marlene. You know me.' He shoved his hands in his pockets and grinned again.

One grin, and she was gone.

'Unfortunately, I do know you.' She replied. 'But for some reason, I'm going to forget about this,' Marlene smiled slightly. 'If you do one thing for me.' She had a fistful of Sirius' shirt in her hand, and was pulling him slowly to the quieter end of the carriage.

'Oh yeah? What's that then?' Sirius grinned again, wrapping his hands around Marlene's waist, knowing full well what was coming.

Marlene answered by pulling his lips onto hers.

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Lame lame lame lame lame.

New chapter to be up soon! Check out my one-shot, A Neck and A Jaw, and more one-shots to follow!

Cheers,

Mica xoxo


	5. Chapter 4: Three Bottles

Hello lovely friends! Seems I can get a lot done late at night.

I also had a bit of writer's block with this, but once I got started, it went well (I hope!).

Like this a bit better than the last chapter. There's the tiniest bit of Jily!fluff right at the end... the first few chapters seemed to have been dominated by Blackinnon, but be assured, theres is PLENTY of Jily to come (along with other pairings...oooooooohhhh!)

This one's a bit short... let me know if you want me to write longer chapters, I will happily oblige (though it may take longer in between each chapter... I haven't really planned any of my chapters out, I usually just wing it and see where it goes)!

WHATS GOING ON: It's the first day of sixth year and things are already tense. Sirius and Marlene slept together before the holidays and he promised her something, but failed to pull through. She is thus very angry, but they end up snogging anyway (oh well). We also learn that Peter might be totally in love with Marlene (oh well). Lily and James seem to be getting on surprisingly well seeing as he practically ruined a friendship for her mere months earlier (oh well).

DISCLAIMER: I do not own any of the characters in this story. They all belong to JK Rowling (queen).

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Chapter 4: Three Bottles

The sun had set by the time the train had pulled into the station at Hogsmeade. The night air, though muggy, was welcome to the uncomfortable tension that had descended upon the compartment shared by the teenage Gryffindors. Marlene and Sirius had slipped in at separate times, each of them mumbling different excuses and resigning to spending the rest of the journey on opposite sides of the cabin.

Lily and Remus had left the others at some point in the journey for the necessary Prefect meeting, and returned to rest for only ten minutes when they were called back again. When they didn't return to the cabin by the end of the journey, the others assumed they would meet them at the castle and clambered off the red steam train, lugging along trunks and animals in cages.

The rush of Hogsmeade station and the rest of their schoolmates quickly whisked away the awkwardness that came with the train journey. Marlene, Mary and Doe quickly separated themselves from the boys in search of Hestia Jones, their 5th dorm mate. The three boys muddled through the masses of bewildered students and chattering children, finally making their way to the horseless carriages that would take them to the castle. Sirius, who had proceeded to get tipsy off of the Firewhiskey he had left after his 'accident' with Marlene, was now nursing a searing headache, slammed the door shut for fear of inviting a fourth passenger to join them. The carriage set off immediately up the bumpy track.

'Sirius-' Peter began.

'Not in the mood, Wormtail.'

'For Agrippa's sake, Sirius…' James attempted to defend his friend.

'You too? C'mon, my head's aching, I'm tired, and I'm hungry. I just want to stuff my face and go to bed.' Sirius lamented, going to take a bottle from his pocket.

James grabbed it before he could unscrew the top. 'You've had enough.'

'You prick!' Sirius' voice became dangerously louder, and he reached for James. James quickly passed the bottle to Peter, who, in typical Peter fashion, acted quickly and rather stupidly, and threw the bottle of the side of the carriage. A smash was heard.

'Oh, for fuck's sake! I can't get anymore of that until the first Hogsmeade trip! Why did you do that, you useless-' Sirius made a lunge at Peter, but James was quick to diffuse the attack, forcing Sirius back into his chair with his left arm.

'Get off me, Prongs, before I really hurt you.'

'Oh, come off it, you're drunk.'

'I have a right to be!'

'Why, because you and Marlene had a little lover's tiff?'

Sirius stiffened, and blushed a deep shade of red.

'What?' Sirius growled.

'Peter saw you with your tongue that the girl's throat! Which was pretty dicky of you, seeing as Peter's been in love with her for the best part of six years!'

It was Peter's turn to blush, his head hanging.

'I- I wasn't snogging-' Sirius attempted to explain himself.

'Don't start.' James cut him off. 'Look,' he then said, lowering his voice, 'If something happened between you two, you can just tell us, all right? Well, tell me. I don't think Peter wants the know the intricacies.'

Peter whimpered in agreement.

Sirius paused for a moment, as if thinking of what to say, but decided against it.

'Nothing happened. We were both pissed, we started fighting, and we were caught in the heat of the moment. That was it.' He wondered if his face was giving anything away.

James paused, almost as if he didn't believe it, but decided to trust his friend.

'Right, Peter, you see? You still have a shot at ol' McKinnon. Besides, Sirius isn't much of a kisser anyway.'

Sirius grinned. 'How would you know?'

'We've kissed before, mate.'

'As dares! And it was hardly snogging.'

'C'mon on then, give us a proper snog then-' James leant forward as if the take Sirius' head in his hands and puckered his lips. Sirius squirmed away from him, laughing, and James laughed in return. Even Peter let out a giggle.

It seemed all back to normal.

So Sirius had lied. But he lied all the time. He lied about doing his schoolwork, he lied about how many girls he'd shagged, and he lied about how drunk he was. But these were little white lies. Easily forgettable.

Sirius lied to the one person he knew he could trust with anything.

But the thing was, if Sirius told James that there _was _something happening with Marlene- that they had slept together at the beginning of summer and he had promised to visit her Spain- then he would have to tell him why he didn't go visit her.

And telling him why would've broken his bloody heart.

So Sirius lied. But he though it was justified. Because it was all right to lie if it saved someone from getting hurt, right?

He lied to save someone else. But what he didn't know was that James had lied too. And Sirius was trying to save someone who was far past the point of saving.

The boys were on one of the first carriages to arrive at the castle, and so got a chance to grab a good spot at the Gryffindor table. Sitting too near the front looked too keen- besides, the first years had to sit somewhere- but too near the back meant you couldn't see anything. So they picked a comfortable spot in the middle, watching students of other ages and houses file in and pick their own spots.

At one point, a tall, lanky boy with a head of frizzy brown hair shuffled up to Sirius. He wore a black trench coat with deep pockets over his school uniform and knotted Ravenclaw tie, something he was known for.

'Alright, Sirius?' He said, flashing a toothy grin at the three boys.

'Alright.' Sirius answered. 'Got anything for me?'

'Run out already?' The boy joked.

'Some unlucky circumstances has run me dry.' He cast a glance at Peter.

'I've got some Firewhiskey, a bit of spiked Butterbeer, and a Muggle favorite- Guinness.' The boy said, jangling each respective pocket. Deep within them, the sound of clinking bottles could be heard.

This was what the boy (more commonly known as Richard Watson) was known for- bootlegging alcohol to the students of Hogwarts in between Hogsmeade trips. He was a Muggleborn, the son of a liquor storeowner and a brewery owner, thus providing him with the expertise and supplies to keep his business afloat.

Sirius thought for a moment.

'Two bottles of Firewhiskey and one bottle of Butterbeer. I don't trust Muggle booze.' He reached into his own pocket to fish out some sickles.

Richard obliged, but as soon as he produced the three bottles, Sirius started to curse profusely.

'You alright, mate?' Richard asked uneasily. James and Peter edged forward.

Sirius could feel nothing but a shooting, cold pain, right between his eyes. He pinched the bridge of his nose, praying for it to dissipate, but it only seemed to persist. He swore again.

Richard put the bottles back in his pockets and reached out to help the boy. As soon as he did, though, the pain disappeared.

'It's gone.' He said.

'What's gone?' Peter asked.

'Sirius, are you okay?' James went to put his hand on his friend's shoulder.

'I'm fine, I'm fine. Three bottles, Richard, sharpish.' Sirius answered.

Richard placed the alcohol in Sirius' hand as Sirius dumped the money into Richard's waiting palm. No sooner had the cool glass touched Sirius' skin that the searing pain returned, worse than ever before. Sirius nearly fell of his seat in shock. Peter and James both stood to help him. Richard grabbed the bottles before they could be smashed.

'Maybe later, pal. Seems like you've had enough already.' He said, and Sirius, in too much pain to open his eyes, heard the clatter of money of the table and of Richard's hurried steps away. Sirius heard a 'Watson, get that coat off, _now!'_ from a professor, and the steps quickened until they disappeared.

'Bugger.' He swore, as the pain lessened and he was able to sit up straight.

'What was that about?' James asked.

'No idea.' Sirius answered.

Moments later, they were joined by Marlene, Mary, Doe, and Hestia, and then a little later, Lily and Remus, who looked ready to collapse. Right as they were about to commentate on their unexplained absence from the journey, the heavy doors of the Great Hall opened and the first years streamed in, led by the sharp-tongued and quick-thinking Professor McGonagall. Their bewildered, round faces stared in awe at the marvelous structure of the hall, causing the other students to follow in their stead. The stone ceilings rose up an immeasurable amount in the air, coming to a peak at some height above them. Stars of the night sky twinkled and winked down at the boys and girls, leading down to four long banners adorned with the colors of the four houses- a rich scarlet and gold for Gryffindor, deep blue and bronze for Ravenclaw, striking yellow and black for Hufflepuff, and a robust emerald and silver for Slytherin- each adorned with a lion, eagle, badger and snake, respectively.

For a moment, everything seemed suspended in time, and everyone seemed caught in a moment of complete serenity.

It was at this moment that Lily Evans and James Potter locked eyes for the first time since their sixth year had begun.

He smiled slightly, and she mirrored his expression. Between them, there seemed to be a silent agreement-

_Truce?_

_Truce._

Then the moment was broken by the tap of Dumbledore's wand against the stand at the front of the hall, and the speech began, along with (unofficially) the friendship of James and Lily, and a new year for all of them.

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WHOOOOOOOO! Review please! Until next time...

-Mica xx


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